Method of and apparatus for pumping fluids.



0. o. eosmz. METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR PUMPING FLUIDS.

APPLIGATION FILED DBO. 7,1907.

Patented Sept. 7, 1909.

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UNITED sATEs PATEN FFEQ.

OSCAR C. GOERIZ, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

METHOD ornnn APPARATUS Eon PUMPING- FLUIDS;

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 7, 1909.

Application filed December 7, 1907. Serial No. 405,493.

,of andf'apparatus for pumping into common discharge outlet water orother fluid drawn from a plurality of sources which are so located or'arranged that the fluid from some of the sources is supplied to thepumpmg apparatus under pressure dilf'erent'from that under which thefluid from other sources is delivered to it.

The object of the invention is, broadly speaking, to provide amethod ofandappa- 'ratus for so pumping the fluid that the pumpingv operation maybe readily carried out with-simple, compact, and compactly. ar-

ranged apparatus and without a material loss in the potential energywhich is contamed 1n the fluid passing to the pump by reason of thepressure under which it isde livered to the pumping apparatus.

The invention is particularly adapted for use 1- n pumping water fromthe various levels of amine arranged one above another to a commondischarge level located above the levels at which the water to be pumpedcollects. i i

I In pumping'from the various levels of a mine the pumping operation iscarried out at a common pumping level located below all "or all but thelower one of the various supply levels from which the water pumped isdirectly drawn, and the water from each supply level above the pumpinglevel is allowed to flow down to the pumping level and is there added tothe water from the supply levels below it after the pressure of thewater from the latter levels has been raised to an equality with thatdue tothe effective head of the water coming from said upper supplylevel, the pressure of the water from all the supply levels beingfinally raised to such a-point that the water will flow from the pumpinglevel to the'discharge level. I

The pumping apparatus. employed comprises a multi-stage pump in whichthe various pumping chambers may or may not be inv a single mechanicalstructure in, thepreferred form of apparatus for carrying out theinvention a multi-stage centrifugal pump is employed, as such a pumppermits of a ready control of the proportions of the Water pumped fromthe dilferent levels without materially interfering with the efficiencyor operation of the pump. Instead of employing a centrifugal pump,however, there may well be employed in some cases a multistage pump ofthe kind in which there are a plurality of pumping chambers havingprogressively increasing discharge pressure, each chamber having itsmovable piston or plunger. In such a pump the various pistons orplungers are preferably connected to and are driven by a single shaft.While, as before stated, the invention is particularly adapted for usein pumping water from the different levels of mines where thedilferences in the supply levels naturally result in different supplypressures at the pumping level, it may also be well used with advantagewherever it is desired to pump into a common outlet and against a commonhead or pressure Water or other liquids supplied at different pressures,as, for instance, in fire fighting apparatus where high pressure and lowpressure water mains are both available. I v

The various features of novelty which characterize my invention arepointed out with particularity in the'claims annexed to and forming apart of this specification. For a better understanding of the invention,however, reference may be had to the accompanying drawings anddescriptive matter in which I have illustrated and described forms inwhich the inventionmay be embodied.

Of the drawings, Figure 1 is an elevation partly in section showing acentrifugal pump employed for pumping water from different levels of amine, and Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic elevation of mine pumping apparatusand F are connected conduits H,

v respectively,

in which the pump employed is a multi- 5 level is located a centrifugalpump F, which may be operated by an electric or other motor. Therotating portion of the pump comprises a shaft (Jr having secured to itthree impellers or rotating sets of blades G, G", and G The impellersGr, it, and G discharge into the stationary outlet passages in, G", andG formed in the casing or stationary part of the pump F. The pump isprovided with a low pressure inlet connection F leading to the impellerG, and with intermediate inlet passages F and F t which communicate withthe passages Gr and G and therefore lead in effect to the inlet sides orimpellers G ;and G The passage G leads to the outlet passage F of thepump. To the inlet passages F F5, and H respectively, leading from thewater levels A, B, and C, respectively. A conduit l-l leads from theoutlet passage of the pump to the discharge level E. Preferably, in eachof the conduits H and H is located a non-return or check valve 1arranged to prevent an upward flow of water through the conduits H and HPreferably, also, each of the pipes H and H has in it a throttle valveJ. The conduit H is also provided ordinarily with a non-return valve Ito prevent downwiird flow of water from the conduit, and with a manuallycontrolled throttle valve J. A throttle valve may also be located withadvantage under some circumstances in the supply conduit H.

In operation, the Water passing to the inlet sides of the impellers G, Gand Gr is discharged into the passages G", G and G respectively under apressure which exceeds that at which it is received by an amountcorresponding to the potential energy put into the water by theimpellers. The pump impellers should, of course, be of a proper size andform and should be run at the proper speed for efiicient operation underthe conditions of use. Sat-- isfactory operation of pumping apparatus ofthe type disclosed in Fig. 1 can be had, however, under widely varyingconditions on account of the inherent self regulating qualities of theapparatus. The pres sure of. the water entering the pump from conduit Hthrough the inlet F for in- .when the outlet. F is closed.

stance, must be equal to the pressure oi: the water at the adjacentportion of thepump passage G". The pressure ol the water entering thepump through port h is that due to what l may call the eli'ectire headof the water in the conduit ll). This effective head is equal to thestatic head loss the loss in head due to the friction. This loss of headdue to friction is not constant. but depends upon the rate of liowthrough the conduitl-l, increasing to a maximum when the outlet- F isunrestricted. and decreasing to zero In a centrifugal pump the prcssureof the water delivered by an impeller running at a constant speed is notconstant, but decreases as the volume of water delivered by the impellerincreases, though not in direct ratio. As a result of thischaracteristic regulation, water will pass, for instance, to theimpeller G from the inlet port F and from the impeller G so long, ontheone hand, as the maxinnun pressure imparted to the water by theimpeller Gr does not exactly equal or exceed the static head due to thedifference between levels B and D, and, on the other hand, so long thepressure of the water delivered by the in'ipeller G" does not fall belowthe pressure corresponding to the static head less the maximum frictionloss of head in the conduit H The ratio of the volume of water passingto impeller G from the impeller G can be varied by varying the dischargeof the impeller G- or by varying the effective head of water passinginto the pump through port. F. The latter method of variation can bereadily had through the operation of the throttle valve J in the conduitl-P, as the etlect of opening and closing this valve is within quitewide limits exactly the same as decreasing or in-" creasing respectivelythe frictional resistance of the conduitjto the flow of water throughit. It will thus be seen that by adjusting the various throttle valves Jthe relative amounts of Water pumped from the different sources can bevaried without otherwise altering the operation of the pumpingapparatus.Under special conditions, as where it is desirable to draw relativelylarge amounts of water continuously from the levels B and C, it may bedesirable to make the impellers G, Gr and Gr of progressively increasingcapacities. Where, however, as is frequently the case, the supply fromthe upper levels is intermittent the impellers may well be made all ofthe same size, as when so made the pump will operate with reasonableetticiency even though a'large proportion of the water pumped is drawnthrough the ports F and F At times some or all but one of the valves Jin pipes H, H or H may be closed, altogether.

The apparatus shown in Fig. 1 is capable of operation in ways dilferingfrom that described above. For instance, in a fire protection, at one ofthe levels, say C, a reservoir may be located to be filled from level A,the valves J in conduits Hi and being then closed, In case of fire, byclosing conduit H and opening conduit H the water could be pumped fromlevel C to level E' K, K and K, each having a piston, theconnecting rodsK of which are coupled to and driven by the common shaft L. In thisform, the outlets of the low pressure and in termediate chambers K and Kare connected to air regulating pressure chambers or reservoirs M, M andthe inlet sides of the chambers K and K are connected to the reservoirsM and M respectively. In this form of my invention where the pumpingpistons all make the same number of strokes of equal length it isessential that the chambers K K and K should be of progressivelyincreasing capacities, thatis, the pistons should be of progressivelyincreasing diameters, since a pump of this kind does not have thecapacity for automatic regulation of output characterizing a centrifugalpump. Instead of varying thediameters of. the pistons, the length ofstroke or speed of f ioke of the dilterent pistons may be adjus'' -ed togive the desired result. In consequence of this difit'erence in theregulating characteristics of the two pumps, the centrifugal pump shouldbe used in. preference to the other where the conditions make itdesirable to vary from timeto time the relative volumes of fluid pumpedwhich are drawn from the sources of difi'erent pres-.

sures.

The advantages of employing a single apparatus for pumping a fluid fromsupply sources of dilferent pressures which characterize the presentinvention are obvious.

For one thing it reduces the cost of the ap-- parat-us employed, as onelarge pump and its operatnig motor cost less of course than a pluralityof smaller pumps and motors. Moreover, the attendance is reduced withthe single apparatus from what it would with the plurality of smallerdevices.

Having now described my invention, what I claim as new and ters' Patentisz' I .1. The method of pumping fluid drawn from fluid sources ofdifierent pressures .which consists in adding the fluid from each desireto secure by Lethigh pressure source without material loss of pressureto, the fluid from the lower pressure source or sources after bringingthe lating pressure stage.

ter up to a pressure equal to the pressure at which the fluid from thehigh pressure source is added.

2. The method of pumping liquid supplied from sources of dillorentpressures which consists in adding the liquid from each supply source ofrelatively high pressure without material loss ofpressure to the liquiddrawn from the source or sources of lower pressure after bringing up thepressure of the latter liquid to an equality with the pressure at whichthe liquid from said relatively high pressure source is added, and thenfurther'increasing the pressure of all the'liquid received up to thatpoint to the effective pressure at which the liquid from the source, ifany, of next higher pressure is added or to the discharge pressure.

3; The method ofpumpingliquid drawn from sources of supply locatedat'ditferent levels to a discharge level located above all the supplylevels, which consists in brin ing all the liquids pumped to a pumpingfevel located below some of the supply levels and in adding atthepumping level the liquid drawn from each sup ly level located above thepumping level tot e liquid brought from all the lower supply levelsafter bringing the pressure of the latter li'quid up to an equality withthe effective pressure at which to flow from the pumping level to thedis charge level in such successive stages that for each supply levellocated above the um in level there isa ressure sta ee ual P p a fp g qto the effective head i o thefluid brought from that supply level, andadding the fluid brought from each upper supply level to the fluid fromthe lower levels at the correspond- 5. 'The combination of a multi-stagepump and connections for supplying liquid to the pump at the outlet sideof a' low pressure stage of the pump at a pressure'equal to the pressureof the liquid delivered from said stageinto the following or succeedingstage. 6. In a pumping system for pumping llquid from the diilerentlevels of a mine to a common discharge level located above the supplylevels, the combination of a multi-' stage pump at a pumping levellocated below some of the supply levels,a'nd conduits connecting each ofthe upper supplylevels in progressive order to the outlet sldes ofvarious corresponding stages of the pump.

uid from the different levels of a. mine to a i common discharge levellocated above the 1 supply levels, a multi-stuge centrifugal pump at apumping level located below some of the supply levels, conduitsconnecting each of the upper supply levels in progressive order to theoutlet sides of the various pump stages, and means for throttling theflow of liquid through said conduits to vary 10 the amounts of waterdrawn from the clrtterf ent sources.

OSCAR C. GOERTZ. \Vit messes:

11 1mm" R. Russ Ronmrr Cnmsrm.

